This was supposed to be the boring civil debate of the White House race.

But vice presidential candidates Tim Kaine and Mike Pence bucked those expectations Tuesday with a sometimes tense and combative clash. That atmosphere gave both men openings to gain or lose ground for their running mates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

TIM KAINE

At every turn, Kaine tried to hold Pence accountable for Trump’s most incendiary statements. “I cannot believe that Governor Pence would defend —” he began each sentence, six different times.

Kaine’s diligent commitment to the campaign’s message — and the minutes he spent listing Trump’s insults, as Pence stayed silent, occasionally shaking his head — might prove politically advantageous in the days ahead. Viewers just turning in were quickly reminded of the myriad controversies that Trump has ignited.

“There is a fundamental respect issue here — I want to talk about the tone,” Kaine said. “Donald Trump has called Mexicans rapists and criminals. He has called women dogs, pigs, disgusting.”

At each turn, Pence ignored Kaine’s comments, shook his head disapprovingly or denied them outright. “That is absolutely inaccurate,” Pence said, when Kaine noted that Trump had praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a leader. But that’s exactly what Trump did. In fact, Pence has also referred to Putin as a “strong leader.”

Be on the lookout for advertisements contrasting Trump’s statements and Pence’s denials, which will surely be coming soon to a TV near you.

For all Kaine's criticism of Trump's fiery rhetoric, the two men are similar debaters in one respect: Like Trump, Kaine spent most of the matchup interrupting his opponent and the moderator.

Each time Pence explained the Trump campaign's positions, Kaine tried to throw Pence off his game. When Pence called for "extreme vetting" of refugees, Kaine asked: "by trashing all Muslims?" At another moment, when Pence noted Trump's long career in business, Kaine interrupted again: He "lost a billion a year."

Sometimes, Kaine interrupted for no reason at all. When Pence began an answer by remembering the events of Sept. 11, 2001, noting that he was in Washington, D.C., when he "saw the clouds of smoke rise from the Pentagon," Kaine quickly interjected to point out that he was in Virginia.

"I know you were," Pence said.

Kaine and Pence were often warned by moderator Elaine Quijano not to talk over each other.

(PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

Kaine proved just as eager to interrupt moderator Elaine Quijano and risked coming off as condescending. Noting the possibility that Trump paid no taxes in the years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Kaine came off as exasperated: "This is important, Elaine."

Quijano tried to keep the two men from talking over each other, noting that "people at home cannot understand either one of you when you speak over each other." But it was to no avail.

Mike Pence scored when he tried to reach independent voters but launched a thousand memes with "that Mexican thing."

(David Goldman/Associated Press)

MIKE PENCE

Best: Reaching out to independent voters while slamming Clinton-Kaine on ISIS

The Indiana governor did something unusual these days for a Republican, particularly one running for office.

He praised President Barack Obama.

Pence didn't exactly go out on a limb when he gave the Democrat props for "bringing Osama bin Laden to justice." And the praise was fleeting, given that he started the whole thought by saying that America is less safe today than when Obama took office in 2009.

But that kind of subtle outreach to independent voters is the polished politics that Trump's blunt bombast can never achieve.

Pence used the stand to then thrash Clinton on the threat of the Islamic State. Picking up the central law-and-order themes of Trump's campaign, the governor effectively turned one of Clinton's strengths — her foreign policy experience — against her.

"Because Hillary Clinton failed to renegotiate a status of forces agreement that would have allowed some American combat troops to remain in Iraq and secure the hard-fought gains that the American soldier has won, ISIS was able to be literally conjured up out of the desert," he said.

And since Quijano quickly moved onto the next topic, Kaine never got a chance to respond.

Worst: Criticizing Kaine for having "whipped out that Mexican thing again."

Kaine came at him with attack after attack over Trump's words, actions and policies — some that Pence disagrees with. The Indiana governor seemed content to ignore those advances, saying he would defend Trump without actually spending much time defending the specific issues.

That strategy could backfire, since Trump's controversial statements were left largely out in the open. But at the least, Pence projected a steadiness to balance to Trump's unpredictability.

Toward the end of the debate, though, Kaine appeared to finally get under Pence's skin. The senator quoted the Bible — "From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks" — to again raise Trump's incendiary remarks about women, war heroes and Mexicans.